Lester Coluca[2] was a recurring character in Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4 and Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building. He was the doorman of the Arconia. His murder was the primary focus of Season 5.
He is portrayed by Teddy Coluca.
History[]
Early Beginnings[]
Lester grew up in Flatbush, in the borough of Brooklyn, living across from Nicky Caccimelio's family dry cleaners.[1]
Theater Career[]
Lester graduated from Juilliard and began doing off-Broadway work with Tracy Letts. Then he stopped getting roles and started drinking, which led to a period of homelessness before he took the first job he could get as doorman at the Arconia.[3]
Working at the Arconia[]
Lester Coluca once dreamed of becoming an actor. A Juilliard graduate, he performed in off-Broadway productions, but roles became scarce over time. His life spiraled downward he fell into alcoholism and even experienced a period of homelessness.
To get back on his feet, he took the first job available: doorman at the Arconia. When he arrived, George was the doorman in charge. George became his mentor, teaching him the tricks of the trade, how to greet residents, hold the door, observe their habits, and anticipate their needs.
When George eventually retired, Lester inherited the main position. But the job went beyond simple door duties. Through George, he was introduced to Nicky Caccimelio, who discreetly entrusted him with under-the-table responsibilities tied to some of the building’s illicit activities.
Over the years, what had started as a survival job turned into his life’s work. Serving as the Arconia’s doorman for decades, Lester became more than a gatekeeper. He grew into a confidant, a witness, and an integral part of the building’s community.[4]
Tim's Murder[]
When the fire alarm went off at the Arconia, forcing an evacuation, Charles came to Lester outside and asked if it was a real fire. Lester said they were waiting to find out. Later, when they returned to the building and found cop cars outside, Lester told them they'd found someone dead inside, a suspected suicide on the ninth floor.[5]
Charles and Oliver's Pursuit[]
When Lester saw Mabel leave The Arconia,[6] he told Charles and Oliver which direction she'd gone. He also returned Charles' missing hat to him.[7]
Talking to Theo[]
Theo came into the Arconia as Lester was listening to Grover Stanley complain about his upstairs neighbors being noisy. After Grover left, Lester tried to sign to Theo that he hated those people but accidentally said, "The cheese is always right". Theo ends up teaching him the correct signs to use.[8]
Podcast Release[]
When the trio released what was supposed to be the finale of their podcast, pointing to Theo and Teddy Dimas as Tim's killers, Lester listened to the podcast as he delivered someone's dry cleaning.[9]
Sending Charles Up and Trio's Arrest[]
Bunny got off the elevator and informed Lester that there was a mess on there. Lester found Charles there, appearing inebriated. He said to Charles, this happened to Sting when The Police broke up and Lester never said a word about it. He sent Charles back up to his floor, telling him to go home and sleep it off, and not tell anyone he told him about Sting.
He then ran into Oliver and Mabel looking for Charles. Lester told them he sent him back up to his apartment, struck down with the Irish flu, which also happened to Sting. Then asked them not to tell anyone he told them about Sting.
Later, Lester watched as Oliver, Mabel, and Charles were arrested after they were found hovering over Bunny Folger's dead body.[10]
Bunny's Death[]
On the day Bunny died, she criticized Lester and Ursula for not picking up trash near where they were eating while taking a break. Then she threatened to replace Lester, but he wasn't concerned by her words.[11]
Moving Sting's Belongings[]
When Sting moved out of his apartment, Lester wheeled a cart of his belongings out of the Arconia.[12]
Luggage Cart[]
When Oliver and Mabel went to move the painting out of Charles's apartment, they were forced to use a broken cart when the nice one was unavailable. As they got to the elevator, Lester came out, saying the good cart was free. He offered to help them move their stuff, but Oliver barked at him not to and refused to let him ride in the elevator with them.[13]
Blackout[]
During the blackout, Lester answered the phone, telling everyone who called that they were aware of the blackout. When Nina called, he told her she had a package at the desk for her. She asked him to bring it up, even though that require him to walk up several flights of stairs. To get him to agree, she threatened his job.
When he arrived, Lester was out of breath and asked if he could sit for a few minutes. She agreed reluctantly. While he waited, Lester started putting together her baby swing while she went over the construction paperwork. He found out she knew all about his family, including his wife Lorraine, and children May and Frank. Nina said this knowledge was due to Bunny constantly quizzing her about the building's occupants. Bunny said one of Lester's children is at SUNY Stony Brook and one is doing improv and that Lester thinks they're really bad at it, but Lester said Bunny got that wrong. Nina asked Lester if they were any closer to finding out who killed Bunny and he said no, but he had thought that whoever did it had to have walked right past him.
When Howard Morris and Jonathan Bridgecroft started a duet of The Sound of Silence, their voices could be heard throughout the building and the sound soothed Nina's daughter, who stopped crying. Soon after, the power came back on, showing Nina's extensive plans for the Arconia. Nina said that some things might need to be reconsidered and asked him how Director of Resident Support sounded. He nodded his head as he left.[14]
Killer Reveal Party[]
Lester was among the Arconia residents who were invited to a "Killer Reveal Party" at Bunny's apartment. When they had all arrived, the attendees debated if a killer reveal party was a party to reveal a killer or a reveal party that was killer in nature. Before the could settle the debate, Oliver, Mabel, and Charles entered the party and explained that they'd solved Bunny's murder and would reveal the killer to them, but only as part of a show they were putting on and wanted them all to participate in. They asked about everyone's theater experience and Lester revealed that he'd graduated from Juilliard and started off-Broadway work with his rival Tracy Letts, but then started drinking and stopped getting roles, which led to a period of homelessness before he got the job at the Arconia.
Once everyone had agreed, they began setting up. An hour later, Cinda and Poppy arrived, prepared to record their own podcast because Cinda believed they'd been invited to Mabel's confession. Charles explained that they'd be revealing Bunny's real killer and pointed the finger at Cinda. He declared that she'd killed Bunny and hid her tracks with the help of a crooked cop. She asked how he knew about Kreps. Charles then laid out how instead of solving crimes for her podcast, she made them up. Cinda asked why she'd want to kill a woman she never met.
Lester interjected that he had the logs that showed several visits to the Arconia, meaning she did meet Bunny. Cinda said she was just keeping tabs on the Kono investigation. Lester continued saying Cinda murdered her, she killed his only friend, and he began to break down. Oliver responds, that Lester is wonderful, alluding to the fact that Lester is a great actor for being able to put on such a performance.
The trio tried more things to unsettle Cinda, but she still couldn't confess. Mabel said that was because she didn't do it and pointed the finger at Alice, saying she wanted the painting and when Bunny asked for too much money for it, Alice killed her to get it. Alice flew into a rage and grabbed a nearby knife, intending to stab Mabel, but hitting Charles instead when he pushed Mabel out of the way. Charles collapsed to the floor while Uma called the police and the others restrained Alice. Oliver and Mabel cried and held Charles's hand as he bled to death.
As Howard comforted Mrs. Gambolini, Uma told them police and the ambulance were three minutes away. Cinda said that she was sorry for Charles's death, but said Mabel was incredible and offered her a job, saying she could even have her own podcast. This upset Poppy, who said there was nothing tying Alice to the murder and her confessing was just pure luck. Meanwhile, Poppy does everything for Cinda. As she talked, Poppy started sneezing. She said she was the one to tell Cinda about the art in the first place. Mabel questioned why and Poppy said it was for a podcast, but Cinda wasn't interested. Poppy continued to sneeze as she talked, prompting Oliver to ask if she had some kind of allergy, perhaps to Mrs. Gambolini. Mabel said the killer sneezed while leaving the crime scene. Poppy challenged that it wasn't uncommon to be allergic to birds and asked if they were going to believe some young girl hiding in the walls. Oliver said that only the killer could know about Lucy. Cinda then revealed that she knew that Poppy was really Becky Butler, the woman whose "murder" was the subject of Cinda's podcast, All Is Not OK in Oklahoma. When Poppy asked who told her that, Charles popped out from under the sheet and said it was them. The whole night was staged, including the two false accusations. Poppy said she just wanted to make a good podcast. She wanted Cinda to notice her, but things went wrong. While she talked about why she did it, Williams came in to arrest her while Kreps waited outside, already in handcuffs of his own.
Opening Night of Death Rattle[]
One year later, on opening night for Oliver's Broadway production of Death Rattle. Lester sat in the audience behind Mabel next to Howard.[15]
After Ben Glenroy collapsed on stage and was pronounced dead, Oliver had everyone go back to his place for the party he'd planned. One of the elevators had broken, so Lester stood by and helped people enter the remaining elevator seven at a time. He also told the waiting crowd that he had someone working on the other elevator.[16]
Charles' Window[]
Lester got a note that he thought was from Charles asking him to replace the glass in one of the window in his kitchen. Lester called Charles to say he couldn't replace it that day, but would get to it first thing the next day. Charles said he hadn't left the note and asked Lester if it might be a bullet hole. Lester said no, but then looked again.[17]
Photo Shoot[]
Lester brought a rack of clothes to Charles's apartment for the trio to wear to the promotional photo shoot for the Only Murders movie.[18]
Oliver's Wedding Lester's Death[]
Lester helped prepare the Arconia for Oliver and Loretta's wedding. When the Chuppah arrived, he asked Oliver where to put it. Oliver was on his way to save Mabel from a killer, so he left Lester in charge, but warned him there would be consequences if he messed it up.
Death[]
After the wedding, Lester attempted to save the Arconia from being converted into a casino by Nicky Caccimelio and Camila White by killing Nicky with his elevator crank. He ran to Randall and told him to deliver the wedding shrimp, where he'd planted Nicky's finger, to Oliver, relying on him to solve the case. But the residents of the Arconia did not realize this until it was too late, the night before the move from the Arconia.[19] Meanwhile, after the finger had been dropped off, Beau Tillman spotted Lester in the Arconia lobby and chased after him demanding he get his finger back. When they reached the fountain, Beau pushed Lester into it, killing him in the process. In his final moments, Lester used the bird whistle to communicate with the arconia one last time. The morning after the wedding, Mabel, Charles, and Oliver found Lester's body in a pool of his own blood in the courtyard fountain.[20]
At his request, Lester lay in state in the lobby of the Arconia. Many Arconia tenants and even the mayor of New York came to pay their respects.[21]
Personality[]
Lester was kind hearted, cheery, and helpful. He was always ready to lend a helping hand.
Relationships[]
He was married to his wife, Lorraine Coluca. He and his wife got married in the courtyard at the Arconia, with the fountain as the only witness.[20]
Career[]
He was the doorman at the Arconia for 32 years before he died.[21]
Notes and Trivia[]
- He's six months younger than Oliver Putnam.[22]
- Lester grew up living across from Nicky Caccimelio's family dry cleaners in Flatbush.
- According to Oliver, Lester's eulogy said, "In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Audubon Birdwatching Society or the Hollywood Improv East."[21]
- His address was 4712 Empire Boulevard.[23]
Gallery[]
Episodic[]
Episode Stills[]
Appearances[]
| Season One | |||||
| #01 | "True Crime" | #05 | "Twist" | #09 | "Double Time" |
| #02 | "Who Is Tim Kono?" | #06 | "To Protect and Serve" | #10 | "Open and Shut" |
| #03 | "How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?" | #07 | "The Boy from 6B" | ||
| #04 | "The Sting" | #08 | "Fan Fiction" | ||
| Season Two | |||||
| #01 | "Persons of Interest" | #05 | "The Tell" | #09 | "Sparring Partners" |
| #02 | "Framed" | #06 | "Performance Review" | #10 | "I Know Who Did It" |
| #03 | "The Last Day of Bunny Folger" | #07 | "Flipping the Pieces" | ||
| #04 | "Here's Looking at You" | #08 | "Hello, Darkness" | ||
| Season Three | |||||
| #01 | "The Show Must..." | #05 | "Ah, Love!" | #09 | "Thirty" |
| #02 | "The Beat Goes On" | #06 | "Ghost Light" | #10 | "Opening Night" |
| #03 | "Grab Your Hankies" | #07 | "CoBro" | ||
| #04 | "The White Room" | #08 | "Sitzprobe" | ||
| Season Four | |||||
| #01 | "Once Upon a Time in the West" | #05 | "Adaptation" | #09 | "Escape From Planet Klongo" |
| #02 | "Gates of Heaven" | #06 | "Blow-Up" | #10 | "My Best Friend's Wedding" |
| #03 | "Two for the Road" | #07 | "Valley of the Dolls" | ||
| #04 | "The Stunt Man" | #08 | "Lifeboat" | ||
| Season Five | |||||
| #01 | "Nail in the Coffin" | #05 | "Tongue Tied" | #09 | "LESTR" |
| #02 | "After You" | #06 | "Flatbush" | #10 | "The House Always..." |
| #03 | "Rigor" | #07 | "Silver Alert" | ||
| #04 | "Dirty Birds" | #08 | "Cuckoo Chicks" | ||
References[]
|